Hello, Cincy. I hope your holidays were great and you got whatever you wanted during the gift-giving rituals for whatever you celebrate. I got socks and a dress shirt and I’m actually pretty hyped about them. Wait, does that mean I’m old now? Oh no.Anyway, news. The saga of Tracie Hunter continues. It looks like the former Hamilton County Juvenile Court judge will get a reprieve from jail for now. The Ohio Supreme Court last week upheld her request for a stay on her six-month sentence until after an appeal of her felony conviction can be heard. Hunter was convicted of having unlawful interest in a public contract in October, one of eight felony counts the county brought against her. The jury hung on the other seven counts. The charge that stuck is usually punished by a fine and probation. However, Hamilton County Judge Norbert Nadel sentenced Hunter to the jail term because of her stature as a judge, he said. Hunter’s supporters say she’s a victim of politics and that her aggressive attempts to reform the county’s juvenile justice system made some powerful enemies. Her critics say she broke the law by misusing court-issued credit cards, improperly handling court records and other infringements. The case has been complex and contentious. Hunter’s attorney filed three motions for a new trial, all of which were denied by Nadel, and three jury members who initially voted to convict Hunter on the felony count later recanted their votes, though it was already too late by that point. Attorneys with the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, which is representing Hunter in the appeals process, say her appeal could take a year. Hunter supporters rallied Sunday in Bond Hill to show support for the suspended judge and call for changes to county’s juvenile justice system, which they say has huge racial disparities. • So you might have heard about that building that fell down in
CityBeat’s neighborhood over the weekend. The vintage 1865 structure
near the corner of Court and Race that last held a box factory partially
collapsed for unknown reasons Saturday, scaring the crap out of nearby
residents and, just as tragically, blocking CityBeat editor Danny
Cross’s parking spot. There were no injuries, though two other cars that
were parked there at the time were heavily damaged. Nearby buildings
are structurally sound, engineers with the city have said. • Another group protesting racial disparities held a vigil Saturday night in Washington Park in remembrance of those who have died at the hands of police across the country. The vigil drew about 30 people, who held candles and paid respects to Mike Brown, John Crawford, Tamir Rice and others who have died in incidents with police. The vigil was the latest in ongoing protests around police killings of unarmed black citizens, including now-infamous incidents in Ferguson, Mo., Beavercreek, Cleveland, New York City and others across the country. Grand juries have failed to indict the officers who shot or otherwise caused the deaths of unarmed citizens in many of these incidents, setting off large-scale incidents of civil unrest in cities across the country. • Even as protests and a bitter national argument about race and police forces plays out, Americans are unusually united about one thing: Police should wear cameras. Eighty-six percent of respondents to a national survey indicated they support body cameras for officers, according to the Washington Post. A large majority of respondents also agreed that deaths caused by police should be investigated by independent prosecutors who have no ties with the departments they're investigating. • If you’ve been following statewide politics this year (say, perhaps, by reading this blog right here), you know that one of the biggest political fault-lines in Ohio is the state’s implementation of the new federal Common Core public education standards. Supporters say it better teaches critical thinking skills and prepares students to be competitive in the global marketplace. But there are plenty of detractors across the political spectrum. Those on the right say the new standards amount to a federal takeover of local school districts and the state’s own standards. Those on the left hate that the new standards rely on standardized testing. Conservative lawmakers this year drafted bills to repeal the standards despite the fact that some prominent conservatives in the state, including Gov. John Kasich, support them. Those lawmakers, including Republican State Rep. Andy Thompson of Marietta, have recently signaled they’ll be at it again in the new year working to repeal the standards, and they appear to have a good deal of support in their quest. Check out this year-end rundown on Common Core by education news site State Impact for a deeper look at the drama over the standards. • Finally, let’s talk about The Interview. First, the new Seth Rogen thing about assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was coming out as expected, on schedule and painfully similar to every other Seth Rogen movie. Then Sony got hacked and people thought it was the North Koreans and the movie was shelved because of some vague threats about violence at theaters that decided to show it. Now, as the argument about whether North Korea really even did the hacking rages on, Sony has decided to release the movie on a limited basis anyway at places like Clifton’s Esquire Theater. The movie has done poorly in its initial release in the real world, grossing less than $2 million. However, it’s done much better online, where it’s racked up more than $15 million in rentals and sales for Sony, which spent more than $40 million to make the two-hour insult to humanity’s intelligence. The brisk online business is good for Sony but bad for the local man who spent $650 on tickets to the premier, hoping to cash in on a sold-out crowd hungry to see what all the fuss was about. The online release deflated this intrepid scalper's Christmas cash dreams. He’s asked the theater for a refund, but the Esquire has refused. There are so many things to shake our heads about in this story. I’ll leave you to ponder the state of our society.

Washington Park among four finalists

Two relatively new Ohio parks, Cincinnati’s Washington Park and
Columbus’ Columbus Commons and Scioto Mile, were among the four finalists for
the non-profit Urban Land Institute’s 2014 Urban Open Space Award.
According to the Institute, the award “celebrates and
promotes vibrant, successful urban open spaces by annually recognizing and
rewarding an outstanding example of a public destination that has enriched and
revitalized its surrounding community.”
The 2014 winner was Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, described by
the Institute as a “5.2-acre deck park built over a recessed freeway in Texas”
(similar to what Cincinnati planners want to do with downtown’s Fort Washington
Way). It bridges “the downtown Dallas cultural district with burgeoning
mixed-use neighborhoods, reshaping the city and catalyzing economic
development.”
The award was made at the Institute’s October meeting.
The two other finalists were Tulsa’s Guthrie Green and Santa
Fe’s Railyard Park and Plaza.
To be eligible, parks had to meet these criteria:
▪
Be located in an urbanized area in North America;
▪
Have been open to the public at least one year and no more than
15 years;
▪
Be predominantly outdoors and inviting to the public;
▪
Be a lively gathering space, providing abundant and varied
seating, sun and shade, and trees and plantings, with attractions and features
that offer many different ways for visitors to enjoy the space;
▪
Be used intensively on a daily basis, and act as a destination
for a broad spectrum of users throughout the year;
▪
Have a positive economic impact on its surroundings;
▪
Promote physical, social, and economic health of the larger
community; and provide lessons, strategies, and techniques that can be used or
adapted in other communities.

Mag encourages readers to "Check out Cincinnati's New Cool"

It seems every day a new love letter to Cincinnati makes its rounds on the Internet. The latest is from New York Magazine’s Weekend Travel
section, where Alex Schechter touts Cincy as a perfect three-day trip thanks to
the city's breweries, restaurants and neighborhood redevelopment.
Where
to Stay: Downtown’s 21c Museum Hotel
and The Cincinnatian are mentioned for their accommodations, along with a few
area Airbnb picks.
Where to Eat: Metropole, Salazar and Sotto — no surprise to local foodies. There’s
even a cute explanation of goetta (“oatmeal-infused sausage hash”).
What to Do: The article sums up a local urbanite’s ideal Saturday in OTR with
stops at Washington Park, the Christian Moerlein Brewing Co., Findlay Market
and Rhinegeist.
Insider’s Tip: Cincinnati’s beer brewing past and present is certainly a draw for
tourists. Schechter suggests the American Legacy underground tour, where folks can explore beneath the
streets of OTR.
Oddball Day: A hodgepodge of noteworthy Cincinnati destinations: munch at Holtman’s Donuts, Senate
and The Eagle; Shop Jack Wood Gallery, Steam Whistle Letterpress and Article;
peep local art at the latest Red Door Project installation; and check out a
concert at the soon-opening Woodward Theatre.
And it looks like CityBeat
got a quick shout out in the Links section, along with Soapbox Media and 3CDC. Thanks!
Go here for more on the latest “no
seriously, Cincinnati is cool” article your friends are sharing.

Washington Park and SCPA host events throughout the two-day fest presented by Learning Through Art, Inc.

The Crown Jewels of Jazz Festival returns Friday and Saturday with an adjusted format. While last year’s fest was spread out across the Over-the-Rhine area, this year’s Crown Jewels is more streamlined, with free events concentrated in OTR’s Washington Park.The fest kicks off Friday night with an 8 p.m. concert featuring unique and widely acclaimed Jazz singer Gregory Porter, as well as Cincinnati native Mandy Gaines (whose been busy performing throughout Europe and Asia). Saturday at Washington Park, the fest kicks up again with Phil DeGreg, Baba Charles Miller and Kathy Wade (whose Learning Through Art, Inc. presents the Crown Jewels fest) performing and telling the story of Jazz (and other music) in a program called “Journeys: A Black Anthology of Music” at 4 p.m. At 5 p.m., “Piano Picnic in the Park” will showcase area pianists; DeGreg, Jim Connerly, Billy Larkin, Charles Ramsey III, Cheryl Renee, Steve Schmidt and Erwin Stuckey will each perform their two favorite Jazz numbers during the hour and a half performance. Then it’s time to dance! The fest closes out at 8 p.m. with “Dancing Under the Stars” at the park’s bandstand, featuring music from the 18-piece Sound Body Jazz Orchestra and dancers/teachers from the Dare to Dance Ballroom Dance and Fitness Studio.Given that it is presented by Learning Through Art, Inc., it is fitting that the Crown Jewels of Jazz fest will also include an educational program Saturday morning for high school musicians at the School for Creative and Performing Arts, just across the street from Washington Park’s 12th Street entrance. The CJ2 Jazz Camp, which will feature clinics, classes and more with many of Cincinnati’s top Jazz musicians and educators (including DeGreg, Stuckey, Jim Anderson, Marc Fields, Ted Karas, Mike Wade, Art Gore, Brent Gallaher and many others), begins at 8:30 a.m. There is a $35 fee per student.For complete info on the Jazz Camp and all of the Crown Jewels of Jazz events, visit learningthroughart.com. And click here to read CityBeat's interview with Wade about the fest and her org's other work.

Plus, the Crown Jewels of Jazz Festival returns to OTR

Cincinnati Garage Soul/Roots group The Perfect Children capture the essence of their electrifying live shows on Get Me Mine and the Crown Jewels of Jazz Festival returns, this year centralized in Washington Park.

Five
years ago, Over-the-Rhine was considered one of the most dangerous and
dilapidated neighborhoods in the United States, a title earned through a
controversial analysis of the area’s crime statistics. Today it’s a different
story, with Over-the-Rhine at the forefront of community revitalization, and Washington
Park at the core of that progress.
At last
year’s inaugural LumenoCity, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra brought in a
total of 35,000 spectators over two nights to see Music Hall come to life
through a visual and musical collaboration. The crowds alone were proof of the growth
OTR has made as a neighborhood and the mark it continues to make on Cincinnati.
This
year, the free concert experience will be expanded to three days – Aug. 1-3, rain
or shine. The 40-minute, all-new visual performances promise heart-pounding
music paired with stunning animation.
Using a
technique called architectural mapping, three-dimensional graphics will be
projected from trailers on Race Street onto the façade of Music Hall, quite
literally shining a light on a cherished city landmark. Each performance will
begin at 8:30 p.m. with John Morris Russell conducting the orchestra as the
Cincinnati Pops. After a brief intermission, Music Director Louis Langree will
lead the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in the light show for the second time.
In an interview
with CityBeat’s Anne Arenstein last year, Langree stated why he loved
performing in Over-the-Rhine over other venues: “There’s a great sense of
creativity and innovation you can feel. Washington Park is a great venue. I
know that at one time it was a sketchy place but now it’s alive and thriving.
To see so many thousands of people gathered to celebrate the city was
marvelous.”
The
visual elements for the concert’s second half are being developed by Brave
Berlin, a world-class creative design and production company based in
Cincinnati. Music to be featured in the second performance include Copland’s “Fanfare
for the Common Man,” John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” the fourth
movement from Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, Elgar’s “Nimrod” and Borodin’s “Polovtsian
Dances.” Details of the concert’s first half with Russell and the Cincinnati
Pops will be announced on a date closer to the festival.
LumenoCity
isn’t just a collaboration between some of Cincinnati’s best music and art
scenes, but a celebration of the city itself. In addition to the performances,
organizers are planning an all-new LumenoCity Village with pre-concert performances,
arts and crafts, and greatly expanded food and beverage services. Two
additional speaker arrays are being added this year for improved sound
coverage, as well as expanded restroom services. Performers from the May Festival
Chorus, Cincinnati Ballet and Cincinnati Opera will also be showcased during
the event.
The village will open at 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug.
1, and 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The designated viewing area inside
Washington Park will be fenced in to ensure guest safety and comfort, and
attendance within that designated area will be capped at 12,500 people each
night. All are welcome, and this year’s concerts will be free to the general
public, but ticketed. Advance tickets will be offered starting May 19 to CSO and
Pops season ticket holders. Complimentary tickets will be available starting
Monday, June 9, at 8 a.m. at lumenocity.com and will be issued until capacity
is reached. For audience members without a computer or Internet access, a
supply of free tickets will be made available to several of CSO’s partner
organizations. In addition to the www.lumenocity2014.com
website, the CSO has established a LumenoCity telephone information line at
513-744-3372.

The recent $46 million
restoration/reinvention of Over-the-Rhine’s Washington Park is already
reaping artistic dividends — it’s responsible for a new musical tribute
to the transformative powers of landscape architecture.

Brand consulting
firm Landor Associates hosts coinciding events Friday at the iconic Shillito’s department
store building downtown. Miketoberfest is a benefit for Mike Amann, owner of
Covington design firm BLDG and linchpin in the Greater Cincinnati arts scene,
who is battling stage 4
neuroendocrine cancer. The fundraiser features live music and DJs, grub from
local food trucks and local art and handmade goods for sale from 5-11 p.m.
Meanwhile, Landor will also be guiding Shillito’s Abandoned tours every 10
minutes during that time. Visitors will go underground to explore the former
department store’s cafeteria, showrooms and Santaland for a spooky experience
perfect for Halloween. Admission for Miketoberfest is $15; tours are $10. All proceeds from the night benefit the Amann family. Go here
for more details.
The Cincinnati Art Museum is said to be
the site of various hauntings, which sets the stage for Friday’s Art After Dark
event. The museum will host ghost tours at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. and screen
the 1922 classic Nosferatu with Folk
Rockers The Ridges providing a live score to the film from 6-8 p.m. Appetizers and
drinks (including Great Lakes Nosferatu ale) will be available for purchase;
admission is free.
Cincinnati street
style gets the spotlight at Rise of the Cool Kids, a production feature from
local retailers, designers, bloggers and other area fashionistas. The event
takes over Washington Park Friday with a happy hour 5-7 p.m. benefiting
Artworks; a dance party and projected fashion show 7-11 p.m.; and after-parties
at nearby 4EG bars. $10 tickets are available in advance online. Limited cash tickets
will be available tonight at the park.
For a classy twist on the adult Halloween party, check out The Malice Ball: OTR Brewers' Masquerade Saturday. The Christian Moerlein
Brewery serves as a chilling setting for a masquerade ball, complete with
masks and makeup artists to elevate your mysterious look, a DJ, photo booth,
local bites, drinks served by fave Japp’s and Bakersfield bartenders and a
special dance performance by Pones Inc. The Malice Ball runs 8 p.m.-midnight.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door, and include a drink ticket and
free shuttle to and from Washington
Park and Mercer Garages. Register here.
Channel your inner
Jules Verne at the Cincinnati Museum Center’s Gears & Beers event Saturday.
It’s a steampunk soiree — Victorian aesthetic with a sci-fi edge — complete
with a costume and gadget parade, live entertainment and plenty of microbrews
and food pairings. The party kicks off at 8 p.m. Admission is $40; $30 for CMC and Enjoy the Arts members. Go here
for event lineup and menu details.
For more art openings,
parties and other stuff to do this weekend, check out our To Do picks,
full calendar and Rick
Pender’s Stage
Door for weekend theater offerings. Be sure to read ScaryBeat for more Halloween
events and holiday inspiration.